The Lucy Hale Award, worth £5,000, will help support a violist with hypermobility and a baritone horn player with hearing loss

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Tapper photo: Roscoe Rutter; Nishizawa photo: Noa Nishizawa

(l-r) Violist Ilana Tapper and Noa Nishizawa

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The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) has announced the recipients of the 2025 Lucy Hale Award, which aims to champion and support disabled and neurodiverse students.

Violist Ilana Tapper and baritone horn player Noa Nishizawa are the recipients of the award for 2025. They will share £5,000.

Tapper has hypermobility in her fingers and hands and requires splints to ensure she is moving her joints properly. She will use her award to purchase silver ring splints to play and practise more effectively, comfortably, and regularly, for longer periods of time.

’The one thing I’ve always wanted to do is to play viola, but my disabilities like to make it tricky,’ says Ilana. ’Whenever I find a new way of adapting how I play or work, it’s absolutely wonderful because things I’ve been working on become a lot more visible in my playing or suddenly become a million times easier.

’I’m excited to see where I can take my playing with the new splints and I’m really grateful for the support.’

Nishizawa suffers from hearing loss in both ears; she has lost all hearing in her right ear and has moderate hearing loss in her left ear. Having purchased her hearing aids at great expense, she has been unable to buy her principal instrument, the baritone horn, and will use her award to do so.

’I am really honoured to be chosen as the winner of this award,’ said Nishizawa.

’It is a critical moment in my journey that will allow me to purchase my own baritone horn, which I have been wishing for for ages to continue my musical career, and it will serve as a powerful reminder that people with disabilities can thrive in music and life.

’I hope my story encourages others to pursue their dreams, no matter the challenges they face.’

The Lucy Hale Award was established in 2024 in honour of the eponymous composer and mentor. Hale, who was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disability at a young age, graduated from RNCM with both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and was set to begin a PhD studying assistive technology in music.

She was the inaugural associate composer with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s disabled-led Resound project and has been composer-in-residence at the National Orchestra for All.

The announcement of the awards is part of RNCM Disability Week, which runs from Monday 27 to Friday 31 January and features events exclusively by disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent artists, creatives, and researchers, including talks, performances, workshops, and demonstrations.

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